Drop-step attachment for railway passenger-cars



(No ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 11.

R. P. THOMAS.

DROP STEP ATTACHMENT FOR RAILWAY PASSENGER CARS.

No. 570,350. Patented Oct. 27, 1896.

I (No Model.)-

' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. R.'P. THOMAS.

DROP STEP ATTACHMENT EOBMRAILWAY PASSENGER CARS. No.570,3 50. Patented001;. 2-7, 1896.

jd g T I J 1 J J 19 z lievezzfiz %L%ZZZ R Ifiom UNITED STATES PATENTQEETCE.

ROSALIE P. THOMAS, OF MARTINSBURG, EST VIRGINIA.

DROP STEP ATTACHMENT FOR RAILWAY PASSENGER-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 570,350, dated October27, 1896.

Application filed August 3, 1896.

5 State of Vest Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements inDrop-Step Attaehrneuts for Railway Passenger-Oars, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to steps employed at 1c the ends of a railwaypassenger car or coach,

throu gl1 the medium of which the passengers enter or leave the same.

The chief object of the present invention is to provide a novel, simple,efficient, and

I 5 economical drop-step attachment designed to be applied to the lowerend of the steps of a car or coach and susceptible of dropping down a orunfolding for the convenience of passengers in entering or leaving thecoach and of folding to an approximately vertical position,

so that it will be entirely out of the way to offer no objectionableprojection or obstruction when not required for use or when the train ismoving.

To accomplish this object, my invention consists in the combination of ariser connected with the lower tread of the car-steps and havingguide-openings at ornearits ends,- a drop-step pivoted to the riser, andchains 0 connected with the drop-step passing through the guide-openingsof said riser and provided with stop-blocks and with fastening devicesat their extremities, said stop-blocks serving as stops to support thedrop-step when um 5 folded and said fastening devices being adapted tobe connected in front of the drop step when the latter is folded upward,whereby it is held in its folded position, as will more fullyhereinafter appear, reference being made to the accompanying drawings,in

which Figure 1 is a detail perspective view showing my invention appliedto the steps at one end of a railway passenger car or coach, the

drop-step being unfolded and in position for use by the passengersentering or leaving the car. Fi 2 is a similar view showing thedrop-step folded to a vertical position and secured by the chains whichsupport it when dropped downward or unfolded. Fig. 3 is a detailelevation looking at the rear of the car-steps, with the drop-step inits unfolded position, for the purpose of showing the position of theinner or rear ends of the chains Serial No. 601,537. N0 m del.)

when the drop-step is in position for use. Fig. 4 is a similar Viewshowing the manner in which the chains pass around to the front of thesteps when the drop-step is folded up ward to the position shown in Fig.2; and Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 5 5, Fig.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use myinvention,I will now describe the same in detail, referring to the drawings,wherein The numerals 1 and 2 indicate the risers and treads of stepsusually employed at the end or ends of a railway passenger car or coachfor the convenience of passengers entering or leaving the car. Thesestepsmay be of any ordinary construction, and, if de sired, they may beprovided with a handrail, as at 3, which can be grasped by the hand toaid in mounting the steps.

The lower end of the car-steps is provided with a supplemental riser 4,to the lower edge of which the drop-step 5 is hinged or pivoted throughthe medium of suitable hinges, as at 0. The riser 4 is provided at ornear each end with a guide-openin g 7, preferably formed by simplyboring or otherwise forming circular holes through the riser. Theseguideopenings may, however, be otherwise c011- structed and applied tothe riser, so that they constitute guides for chains 8, which areconnected at one end with the drop-step 5 and are passed through theguidc-openings. The chains 8 can be secured to the drop-step in anysuitable manner, but I prefer to connect them therewith by passing thechains through holes or orifices 9 and engaging them with a rod 10,having its extremities attached to the ends of the drop-step, as at 12,through the medium of any suitable devices. As herein shown, the rod 10is arranged parallel with one side of the drop-step and its extremitiesare bent or turned and secured to the ends of the drop-step by ordinaryscrews, as will be clearly understood by reference to Fig. 1.

The chains 8 are provided intermediate their ends with stop-blocks 13 ofany construction which will prevent them from passing through theguide-openin gs 7, but which will enable the chains to be slid in onedirecblocks may be in the form of any suitable en largement, or they maybe metal blocksrigidly attached to the. chains, and they are 10- tionthrough said guide-openings. Thestope Lil cated some distance from theinner or rear extremities of the chains, which extremities are providedrespectively with a hook 14 and an eye 15, or equivalent fasteningdevices, whereby one end of the chain may be detachably engaged with theother end when the drop-step is folded to approximately a perpendicularposition, as will more fully hereinafter appear.

The hinges 6 are preferably strap-hinges, but they may be hinges of anyordinary or known construction.

The drop-step 5 is susceptible of standing in a vertical position at theouter side of the riser i, as shown in Fig. 2, or of being dropped orturned down to an approximately horizontal position, as shown in Figs. 1and 5. When the drop-step is unfolded or turned down to a horizontalposition, as in Figs. 1 and 5, the stop-blocks 13 strike the rear sideof the riser 4 at points in juxtaposition to the guide-openings 7, andsince the stop-blocks cannot pass through these guide-openings theyserve as stops and enable the chains to support the drop-step inposition for use by passengers entering or leaving the car or coach.After the drop-step has been utilized by the passengers it can be turnedor folded to an approximately perpendicular position at the outer sideof the riser 4, and in order to secure it in this position the inner orrear ends of the chains are grasped and the chains are drawn lengthwisethrough the guide-openings 7, so that the inner or rear portions of thechains can be brought around in front of the folded drop-step andconnected together at their extremities through the medium of the hook14 and eye 15 or equivalent fastening devices. The chains thus serve tolock the drop-step in its folded position, so that the step will offerno objectionable projection or obstruction when not required for use, orwhen the train is moving.

The dropstep can be conveniently and quickly lowered or unfoldedwhenever it is desired to place it in position for use by simplydisconnecting the hook 14 from the eye 15, after which the step can beeasily pulled downward until the stop-blocks l3 strike the riser 4, whenthe upward motion of the step will be arrested and it will be firmlysustained in approximately horizontal position, thereby extending orlowering the car-steps and providing a structure which enablespassengers to more conveniently enter or leave the car or coach.

It will be obvious that the car-steps can be employed by passengers toenter or leave the car while the drop-step is in its folded position.This may be desirable under certain circumstances, as, for example,where the carsteps are of sufficient length and do not require to beextended or lowered for the convenience of the passengers entering orleaving the car.

. My invention involves a very simplified construction and arrangementof parts and producesv a novel and useful drop-step attachment for carand other steps which can be very economically manufactured, easilyattached, and conveniently and quickly folded and unfolded wheneveroccasion demands. It will be obvious also that with this invention itwill be much more convenient for the brakeman or car attendant to unhookand lower the drop-step than to get and place in position a stool, assometimes employed to assist passengers in alighting from or boarding acar.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combinationwith steps, of a riser connected with the lower tread of the steps andhaving guide-openings at or near its ends, a drop-step hinged or pivotedto the riser, and chains connected with the drop-step, passing throughtheguide-openings of said riser and provided with stop-blocks and withfastening devices at their extremities, said stop-blocks serving asstops to support the drop-step when unfold ed, and said fasteningdevices being adapted to be connected in front of the drop-step when thelatter is folded, substantially as described.

2. The combination with car-steps, of a riser secured to the outer lowerend of the steps and provided with guides at or near its ends, adrop-step hinged or pivoted to the lower ed 'e of the riser and chainsconnected with the drop-step, passing through the guides of said riser,and provided with stop-blocks and with a hook and an eye at theirextremities, said stop-blocks serving as stops to support the drop-stepwhen unfolded, and said hook and eye being adapted to be connected whenthe drop-step is folded upward, substantially as described.

3. The combination with car-steps, of a riser secured at the lower endof the steps, a drop-step hinged or pivoted to the lower edge of theriser, and chains having stop-blocks and fastening devices at theirextremities, said chains serving to support the drop-step when unfolded,and adapted to have their ends connected for the purpose of securing thedrop-step in its unfolded position.

4. The combination with car-steps, of a riser secured at the lower endof the steps and having guide-openin gs at or near its ends, a drop-steppivoted to the riser and provided with an attached rod, and chainsconnected with the rod of the drop-step, passing through theguide-openings of said riser, and provided with stop-blocks and withfastening devices at their extremities, substantially as and for thepurposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ROSALIE P. THOMAS.

Vitnesses:

D. S. EICHELBERGER, HENRY THoMAs.

IIO

